Crankcase ventilator



Aug 5, 1941. o. VITTUM 2,251,860

I CRANKCASE VENTILATOR Filed March. 16, 1939 INVENTOR WlTNESS am 1 mm Patented Aug. 5, 1941 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CRANKCASE VENTILATOR Omer Yittum, Canton, 111. Application March 16, 1939, Serial No. 262,275

1 Claim.

The present invention relates to internal combustion engines and more particularly to improved means for ventilating the crankcases of such engines.

An important object of the invention resides in the provision of means for admitting clean, cool atmospheric air into the crankcase of an internal combustion engine for cooling the various parts thereof, such as bearings, pistons, piston rods, cylinder walls and the like.

A further object of the invention is to provide a means in combination with the intake manifold of an internal combustion engine for feeding air drawn into the crankcase and passing therethrough, into the carburetor for mixture with the fuel being fed into the cylinders.

An important feature of the invention resides in the fact that the crankcase and the oil and vapors contained therein will be substantially cooled by the admission of atmospheric air thus resulting in more efficient operation of the engine with a resultant economy in operating costs and replacement of parts thereof.

The invention will be fully and comprehensive- 1y understood from a consideration of the following detailed description when read in connection with the accompanying drawing which forms a part of the application.

In the drawing:

Figure 1 is a side elevational view illustrating the device attached to a conventional four cycle internal combustion engine.

Figure 2 is a transverse sectional View taken substantially on line 2-2 of Figure 1, and

Figure 3 is a vertical sectional view taken substantially on line 3-3 of Figure 1.

Referring to the drawing for a more detailed description thereof, a conventional internal combustion engine of the four cycle type is indicated generally by the reference numeral 5 and includes an intake manifold 6, and carburetor I attached thereto by any desired means. The crankcase 8 houses the conventional crankshaft 9 supporting on one end thereof a fly wheel Ill and on the opposite end a pulley II normally employed for supporting a belt to operate a fan for cooling the engine.

While the herein described invention is illustrated in use with an internal combustion engine of the four cycle type, it is to be understood that,

with slight modifications, the same can be appropriately used with two cycle engines, in which case the various parts would be associated with the engine in the manner illustrated and hereinafter described.

An air inlet container and cleaner I2 is supported by any desired means in close proximity to the engine 5 and is adapted tocontain a material for filtering air admitted through the inlet l3 prior to its admission into the crankcase 8. One side of the crankcase is connected with the container l2 through the medium of a pipe line I4 suitably coupled at [5 to the container l2 and the opposite end united by any desired means 25 with a distributor IS. The distributor I6 is disposed along one side of the crankcase 8, as more clearlyshown in Figures 2 and 3 of the drawing, and has extending therefrom and into the interior of the crankcase 8 a series of inlets ll, one for each cylinder of the engine and disposed to lie in a plane substantially centrally of the cylinder and opposite the crankshaft bearings. It is to be understood that air admitted through the container I2 enters the crankcase 8 through the pipe line I4, distributor I6 and inlets l1, and that such air will be drawn into the crankcase upon the suction stroke of the pistons 18. As the air is admitted it is in a relatively cool state and tends to have a cooling effect upon the pistons, bearings, oil and vapor contained within the crankcase.

On the side opposite the distributor Hi there is disposed an air collector l9 having a series of outlets 20 substantially diametrically opposed to the inlets I1, said collector l9 being coupled at 2| with a pipe line 22 suitably connected at 23 to the intake manifold 6 and having communication with the carburetor I for feeding air discharged from the crankcase into the carburetor. As is to be understood, a partial vacuum will be created through the medium of the intake manifold and pipe line 22 which will be sufiicient to draw air admitted through the distributor l6 up through the line 22 for mixture with fuel in the carburetor to be fed into the cylinders through the intake manifold. In other words, the engine 6 acts as a pump to expel all of the air drawn into the crankcase. It is further to be understood that air admitted into the crankcase through the inlet I! will receive a turbulent action by reason of the rotating crankshaft which will further aid in cooling the moving parts of the engine disposed in the crankcase in addition to cooling the oil and vapor contained therein.

If desired, steel wool or similar material can be placed within the pipe line 22 to strain oil from the air thereby preventing its admission into the carburetor and since the admitted air will have become, to a certain extent, heated during its travel through the crankcase, heated air will be admitted into the carburetor thereby improving the efiiciency of the same.

Also it will be understood, of course, by those skilled in the art that variations in the hereinabove described device involving the substitution of substantial equivalents for the devices described are intended to be comprehended Within the spirit of the present invention and that the invention is capable of extended application and is not confined to the exact showing of the drawing nor to the precise construction described and, therefore, such changes and modifications may be made therein as do not affect the spirit of the invention nor exceed the scope thereof as, expressed in the appended claim.

What is claimed is:

The combination of an engine having a crankcase, means for admitting air to the crankcase, distributor means disposed on one side of, said crankcase, said distributor means including a horizontally disposed pipe having a series of inlets extending therefrom and into communication with the interior of said crankcase, means for connecting said distributor with said air admitting means, air discharge means disposed on the other side of said crankcase and having communication with the intake manifold of said engine, said air discharge mean including a horizontal'section of pipe disposed on the other side of said crankcase and substantially parallel to said distributor means, and a series of outlets having communication with the interior of said crankcase and substantially diametrically opposed to said series of inlets, whereby air admitted into said crankcase upon the suction stroke of a piston will be caused to be discharged into the intake manifold of said engine.

' OMER VI'I'TUM. 

